Beauty queens: Celebrities who competed in beauty pageants

Oprah Winfrey Pageant: Miss Black Tennessee (winner) Year: 1972 Fun fact: As a teen Winfrey won an oratory contest, earning her a scholarship to Tennessee State University and attracting a local radio station to hire her to do the news part-time. (Nikki Nelson/WENN.com)

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Bridgette Wilson-SamprasPageant: Miss Teen USA (winner) Year: 1990 Fun fact: Wilson-Sampras met her husband Pete Sampras on a blind date after he told a friend he'd love to meet her. The two were married in 2000 and have two boys. (Mike Stotts/WENN)

Linda EvangelistaPageant: Miss Teen Niagara Contest Year: 1978 Fun fact: A talent scout from New York's Elite Model Management spotted her at the show but she waited two years to call him, according to Vogue.com. (Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com)

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Sophia LorenYear: 1949 Fun fact: Loren was just 14 when she competed in her first beauty pageant in Italy - even though the minimum age was 15 - and earned bit parts in local productions afterwards. (Lisa Toby/WENN.com)

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Jeri RyanPageant: Miss Illinois (winner) Year: 1989 Fun fact: Ryan competed in pageants to help her pay for college and graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre in 1990. (Brian To/WENN.com)

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Katy PerryPageants: The star blogged that she competed in two beauty pageants as a child and came in second at an Arizona competition. (Andres Otero/WENN.com)

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Vanessa LacheyPageant: Miss Teen USA (winner) Year: 1998 Fun fact: Then known as Vanessa Minnillo, she was the first winner to represent South Carolina and was voted Miss Congeniality. (FayesVision/WENN.com)

Eva LongoriaPageant: Miss Corpus Christi (winner) Year: 1998 Fun fact: Longoria won a chance to compete in a Los Angeles talent show, which she also won, and stayed in the city to pursue her dream of stardom. (WENN.com)

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Diane Sawyer Pageant: Junior Miss (winner) Year: 1963 Fun fact: The $11,000 Sawyer won paid for her first year at Wellesley College. (WENN.com)

Michelle YeohPageant: Queen of the Pacific (winner)Year: 1983 Fun fact: Yeoh represented Malaysia at the Miss World pageant in 1983, giving her a shot at a TV commercial with Jackie Chan that was released in 1984. (WENN.com)

Ali LandryPageant: Miss USA Year: 1998 Fun fact: Landry met Mario Lopez when he hosted the 1998 Miss Teen USA pageant. The two were married in April 2004, but Landry had it annulled two weeks later on grounds of Lopez' infidelity. (WENN.com)

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Tiffani Amber ThiessenPageant: Miss Junior America (winner) Year: 1987 Fun fact: After a childhood of beauty pageants, Thiessen won modeling competitions for Teen and Cover Girl magazines before landing the role of Kelly Kapowski on Saved By The Bell in 1989. (WENN.com)

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Michelle Pfeiffer Pageant: Miss Orange County Year: 1978 Fun fact: Pfeiffer began training to become a stenographer before deciding on acting and competing in pageants in hopes of becoming discovered. (PNP/WENN.com)

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Cloris LeachmanPageant: Miss Chicago Year: 1946 Fun fact: Leachman studied at the Actors Studio in New York on a scholarship she won in a pageant. (FayesVision/WENN.com)

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Sarah PalinPageants: Miss Wasilla (winner) and Miss Alaska (third place) Year: 1984 Fun fact: The politician and author played the flute as her talent and won Miss Congeniality in the Alaska competition. (Alberto Reyes/WENN.com)

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Sharon StonePageant: Miss Crawford County Year: 1975 Fun fact: Stone was reportedly told by a beauty pageant judge that she should move to New York and become a model, which she did. (FayesVision/WENN.com)

Cybill ShepherdPageant: Miss Teenage Memphis (winner) Year: 1966 Fun fact: Shepherd went on to win a Model of the Year contest two years later at age 18. Shepherd's first film, The Last Picture Show, was released in 1971 and earned several Academy Awards. (FayesVision/WENN.com)

Mary HartPageant: Miss South Dakota (winner) Year: 1970 Fun fact: Two years after winning, Hart graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls where she produced her own radio show. (Nikki Nelson/WENN.com)